


A New Eternity

by YoungSoon



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Elf, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Elf Wonho, Elf/Human Relationship(s), Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, M/M, Mention of heavy injuries, human changkyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-09-20 02:34:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17013945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YoungSoon/pseuds/YoungSoon
Summary: In a world where magic is real, yet hidden from the eyes of humans, it is every explorer's dream to stumble upon even a glimpse of a wonder. In a search for a miracle, ChangKyun wanders too far into woods, rumored to be enchanted, and finds more than he ever expected to.





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Click on the * to see my reference for the scenery.  
> Also, you can check out some magical [European forests](https://www.redbull.com/int-en/10-mysterious-forests-you-need-to-explore) and [waterfalls](https://www.pandotrip.com/top-10-picturesque-waterfalls-in-europe-2015-22204/) to get in the mood.

The climb over the bigger and smaller hillocks covered in a layer of deep, rich moss in all shades of green - from fresh leaf green to ivy dark - was not the easiest task, but since the moment ChangKyun stepped into the forest he had no choice. The tall trees above his head - a mix of alders and aspen with some stranded pine trees - created a dome above his head. Their trunks were covered in lichen in shades from deep green to almost shining silver. The slightly cloudy sky was barely visible through the thick green cover and only in small parts, the rays of the sun shone through, illuminating small moss patches where wildflowers bloomed.

Bigger and smaller bushes of hazel and some that he could not recognize filled the spaces between the trees, either small flowers of blueberry stems growing near them. Summer was in its second half so brown, yellow and red heads of mushroom popped out here and there from the rich carpet of moss. Some fallen trunks and cut down stems had become homes for tree mushrooms and ant colonies, some were a race track for colorful beetles.

This was nothing like the place ChangKyun unwillingly called home. The concrete forest he came from was filled with grey and black, with neon bright lights and only humans rushing between the skyscrapers and across the pavement. Already long ago all cities had lost their charm, their appeal and served more like traps than living spaces. Perhaps that was why so many people had delved into the search for miracles and magical beings in the past decade, trying to return to their lost roots and with remarkable success at that. ChangKyun was one of them but he thought of himself as someone much different from others.

His journey had now reached a forest in northern Europe - the old continent is the place where magic never stopped to exist. He had stopped in a village so small it seemed nothing more but an apartment building divided into separate houses for few days, finding out more about the enchanted forest he had read so much about. The name of the woods was too difficult for him to pronounce, but the meaning was clear - it was the place where ‘ancient people’ lived, according to the local legends and sightings from as much as hundred years ago and as close a month earlier.

The ‘ancient people’ were often described as tall and well built - both men and women - with long white hair and eyes in all colors of the sky - from greys of a cloudy day to the deep blue of the midnight. What made them different and noticeable were their pointed ears, often in length up to 10cm as well as their fluid movements. They had been seen in crowds during fairs or walking alongside rivers, standing on cliffs near the sea or walking through the forest near paths used by the villagers. It was said they possessed incredible voices, their songs filling the ar of summer nights. Most believed they possessed the magic that allowed them to live for thousands of years. If ChangKyun’s researches were right, the ancient people from the local mythology were elves and he was here to prove that.

Despite all warnings, he had packed a light backpack with some food, sleeping bag and a spare set of clothes along with his research bag and set into the woods. He had no real place to return to - the concrete jungle smothering him to death - so the warnings of getting lost in the forest as old as the continent itself, with trees growing from the moment ice caps covering the northern regions had melted, didn’t scare him. On the contrary - he was excited to explore the woods so deep and thick people feared and respected them. However, the unstable terrain was hard to walk on.

“And I thought castle basements where a hard place to reach,” he sighs and sits down on a log. He reaches into his bag, taking out the water flask and emptying the content in one go. “They told me there has to be a river nearby or a stream,” he murmurs and looks around at the endless green. He closes his eyes and listens - past the chirping birds and rustling leaves, past the trees crackling in the distance and bugs rustling around. In the distance, very faintly, he can hear a stream. It’s quiet and probably is small, but it was far more than nothing.

ChangKyun listens for a second longer to determine the way to go and stands up. His boots sink into the moss, occasionally falling into a small pit left by an animal or tripping over branches covered in greenery, but there was a certain charm in wobbling around in this magical place. Rather this than the smooth pavement.

The closer ChangKyun gets to the flowing water the louder it gets and it is obvious it is not a small stream. It’s a good 10 minutes of stumbling until ChangKyun reaches the edge of the forest, meeting a larger basin of water. [*](https://www.pandotrip.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Bigar-Waterfall-Romania.jpg) The water falls from an almost conical rock as if levitating in the air, covered in bright green moss. It cascades down into hundreds of smaller streams, falling into the basin below and then flowing away in a river. It was a sight so magnificent he had no words.

A bit clumsily he places his backpack down, his shoulder bag with notes remaining on, and takes the two flasks to fill them. He staggers down the slippery rocks, almost falling on his butt, and is about to lean down to take some water, when he notices clothes neatly laid down on a mossy rock, a simple shoulder bag neatly sitting next to it. His eyes go wide and he looks at the waterfall again, his eyes only now noticing a figure standing further away from direct sight.

By the looks of it, it is a man, his shoulders broad and back muscular, the arch of his exposed behind, to put in scientific terms, fascinating. But what catches ChangKyun’s attention more is the long silver hair falling over the man’s broad back, brushing well over his waist. Near the very end, the color of the hair gradually changes from white to pastel blue ending in a deep and bright color. Two elongated ears don’t skip pass ChangKyun either and he literally sits down in the wet sand for a second until the man moves.

Grabbing the flasks with him, ChangKyun chaotically climbs up the hillock again and almost dives behind the nearest bush, but still peaks through the leaves. The man walks out from the shadow where he was standing, the sunlight peeking from the clouds hitting his damp skin and making each water droplet to shine making him ethereal. Saying he is ‘well built’  is an understatement and ChangKyun feels his mouth falling open, but he can’t help it.

The man looks at the spot ChangKyun was mere minutes ago but says nothing. He proceeds to dry himself off with a towel he takes from the bag and ChangKyun can’t look away. As a creep, he watches the man pull on a pair of deep grey trousers and a white shirt. It’s a new level of visual experience to see him tie the long hair back with a deep blue ribbon, fold the length of it in half and tie them again, creating an illusion they are no longer than his shoulders. He hangs the bag on his shoulder and steps into black boots that had been standing on the other side of the rock and, for ChangKyun’s surprise he looks up. His greyish green eyes meet ChangKyun’s and the latter falls back on the ground.

“Stand up!” a voice, obviously belonging to the man, commands but instead of obeying ChangKyun wants to either hide and pretend he is not there or run. “I know you are there. Stand up,” the man repeats and even though authoritative, his voice is soft.

Hesitantly ChangKyun does stand up and steps out from the shadow of the bush. He grabs onto the strap of his bag and bows deeply out of habit. “I am deeply sorry! I didn’t come here or purpose! I didn’t mean to watch,” he says almost too loudly and slowly looks up. There is almost a mocking grin on the man's full lips, but it falls in seconds. His ears twitch as ones of a cat hearing a distant noise and he reaches in his bag, pulling out a shiny dagger almost the length of his forearm.

“Get down!” he exclaims and before ChangKyun can ask what is going on something jumps over him. A large dog, no, rather a wolf but sized like a bear or maybe a cross between a dog and a bear lands in the wet sand with a roar. It snaps his large teeth at the man before him and launches forward, disgusting amounts of saliva dripping from his mouth. The man, however, blocks the bite with the dagger - metal clinking against the teeth - and pushes the monstrous animal away with remarkable strength. Graciously he jumps out of the way for the next attempted bite, his blade scraping against the animal's side. The monster howls and turns to attack again but the man ducks between the monster legs, the blade deeply cutting the roaring animals front legs.

“Run!” he yells out and jumps over the monster who tries to stand up and runs towards where ChangKyun is standing. The latter is shocked, to say the least, but the moment the man reaches him, the monster behind him getting back on its feet, ChangKyun finally manages to do what he is asked to.

He turns around and bolts straight into the forest, the man now running beside him. He doesn’t know where he is going so when the man takes a sharp turn between the trees ChangKyun does the same, barely keeping his balance on slippery rocks and roots growing above the ground. He doesn’t know for how long they run but the man finally stops and so does ChangKyun, almost tripping and falling.

“We can rest for a moment, however, it will get dark soon,” the man says and looks at the tops of the trees, the sky between the leaves coloring orange from the setting sun, confirming his words.

“What was that?” ChangKyun breathes heavily and sits in the moist moss, ignoring the unpleasant feeling, and rests his back against a tree.

“The only thing that can kill me,” the man replies as a matter of fact and sits down on a fallen tree a little bit to the right from ChangKyun.

“Then what are you?” the man sitting on the ground asks and his eyes lock with the eyes of the man. It is a hypnotic feeling that lasts for a second or two but ChangKyun had ever felt anything like it before.

“I think you know,” he smiles faintly and even though it is very obvious, ChangKyun’s mind needs a minute to wrap around it.

“One of the ancient people… an elf,” he states the obvious and the man nods. “This is… unbelievable. I never truly believed I would find something,” ChangKyun lets out a small laugh and rests his head against the tree. “Unbelievable,” he sighs with a smile.

“You were searching for my kind?” the man asks and ChangKyun looks at him. “Yet you said you were not here on purpose, didn’t you?”

“I am as in I were searching, but I wasn’t at the waterfall to purposely to see you, even though it was great seeing you…  not because you were naked, even though that was not bad either, but because I am a researcher, a scientist!” Changkyun leans forward and away from the tree and tries to explain the situation at his best ability, his hands moving in the air as he talks.

“I’m an anthropologist and I originally research humans, but there are reasons why I have switched to exploring the people of myths and trying to find them,” he continues and the elf sitting in front of him just listens without saying a word for a moment.

“Do you always talk this much when you are nervous?” he asks and ChangKyun goes silent, realizing he has been indeed rambling quite a bit. “What’s your name?” the man asks another question with an answer much easier than the previous one.

“ChangKyun,” he replies and for a short moment, the man says nothing.

“I guess you could call me Wonho then,” he introduces himself and it is a bit odd to hear a name that did not match the region at all. Even more so it just then hit ChangKyun they could understand each other.

“Why such name and … how can I understand you or how do you understand me?” he looks at the elf wide-eyed before grabbing onto his bag and pulling out a rather thick, roughed up A4 notebook with insert pages sticking out here and there and a pencil.

“Our language is unique and anyone can understand it. So are our names - each person hears it the way it is more familiar to them. The same way we understand all languages, as we come from all corners of the world,” the elf explains and observes how ChangKyun flips open a new page in his notebook and starts to write down frantically.

“Amazing,” he murmurs as he continues writing. “So, what exactly is that thing that attacked you? I have read every research and myth about elves but I have never encountered such a monster,” he continues and reaches in his bag for another pencil and this time it seems like he is drawing something. The elf stands up and walks over to the human, peeking into his notes from above. Indeed, he had sketched the monstrous animal, putting down its approximate size as well.

“In simple words, they are goblin hounds. Created and controlled by trolls and said goblins with the sole purpose to destroy my kind. The poison oozing from their mouth is the only thing capable of killing my kind,” he squats next to the human who is so immersed in his notes he doesn’t even notice it.

“Oh, that I have read about - the trolls,” ChangKyun nods and scribbles down the information, underlining it, unlike the first things he wrote. He had his own system in the last book sized notes and he was completely immersed in it.

“Do you possess magic?” he asks another question and prepares to write down the answer, the drawing pencil now resting between his lips and there is something innocent and endearing about the human so hungry for knowledge he forgets the dangerous situation he’s in. Wonho lets out a small laugh before fully sitting down next to the man.

“We do. We chant spells if needed and have items in our possessions that capture the magic and allows us to use it. We also guard the places that are concentrated magic flows which are why goblins and trolls want to destroy us,” he explains and watches closely as the human continues writing, murmuring ‘fascinating’ under his breath.

It’s endearing and actually entertaining but before ChangKyun manages to ask another question Wonho hears a distant sound that signifies only trouble, or rather three troubles heading their way. “We need to go. Now,” he stands up and looks down at the confused human who remains motionless for a second before pushing his belonging back in the bag and standing up himself.

This time they don’t run. Wonho leads the way and seems that he has a specific destination in his mind. The woods get thicker around them and more rocks appear from the between the moss. The river is still rustling somewhere nearby even though they run quite far from the waterfall. As predicted the daylight is leaving them fast and eery twilight settles in the trees the moment a section of a lonely cliff appears before them. There are bigger and smaller caves carved in it making it look sad and menacing at the same time, wild wines and moss covering the huge rock.

“This should do for the night,” the elf stops at one of the caves at the lower level. It is big enough to walk and deep enough to perhaps lay down, but not very wide or eye-catching, which was probably the goal.

“We will need fire, he continues and places his bag in the cave - ChangKyun following his example wanting to help, but he is stopped immediately. “Remain here,” the elf instructs and ChangKyun nods. He sees how the figure disappears between the trees, almost radiating light, and now left alone finally grasps the situation.

He had actually found something. Entirely by accident and now his life was probably in danger, but he had done it. Everything was worth it - the mockery from colleagues, the shame of misfortune - it all was not only worth it but without it, he wouldn’t be here right now.

Still, absentmindedly he collects bigger and smaller rocks from the front of the cave and builds a place for the fire, Wonho returning with branches around the time he finishes. Silently he observes how the elf stacks the branches and then uses his dagger to create sparkles - the metal hitting the rocks. Soon the cave is filled with orange light and the sound of crackling firewood.

The elf places the towel he had in his bag on the floor of the cave in front of the fire but near to the wall and sits down, tapping the space next to him as an invite for ChangKyun to join, which he does. He feels a bit timid but also strangely brave, as he can’t let this opportunity go by. Holding his bag in his hands he sits down next to the elf and just as he stares at the dancing flames for a moment.

“What’s the plan?” ChangKyun asks, pulling his legs closer to his chest and resting his chin on his knees.

“I need to get you back to the human village because that beast doesn’t know the difference between the two of us now, then lap around the forest to confuse the hounds before returning to my city,” Wonho replies and changes his focus from the flames to the dark forest outside the cave. “If they don’t find us first.”

“And if they do?” ChangKyun looks at the man next to him, who then turns to him.

“Then a fight is inevitable,” his soft features seem harsh and determined and all ChangKyun can just nod. By fight, it means Wonho would fight as Changkyun is most definitely useless in such scenario.

The cave sinks into silence and to somehow fight the awkward feeling in his chest ChangKyun pulls out his notes again. He opens a fresh page and even though the light is not great he begins to draw. Whichever plan would take place when the new day comes he wanted something more than just scribbled notes to remind about this fateful encounter.

“I think my ears are even longer than that,” Wonho suddenly speaks and ChangKyun almost ruins the whole drawing by jumping. The elf had turned towards him and was observing the making of his own portrait. “But this looks nice too,” he adds and ChangKyun feels a rush of heat rising in his cheeks. Now he feels those forest grey eyes, as he would describe them due to a mix of green in them, carefully looking at him.

“What will you do when you return?” the elf asks and ChangKyun stops for a moment before continuing to draw.

“If you are worried about me telling anyone - I won’t,” he replies and continues to shade the drawing.

“That’s interesting. Why not? If you are a researcher, wouldn’t it be something prize-worthy to announce?” Wonho looks at how the endearing expression on ChangKyun’s face gets more sad, more distorted by the second.

“I am a bad researcher then. I am doing this just for myself,” the human retorts. He almost seems angry or annoyed.

“So you don’t want fame?”

“I don’t want anyone to suffer! The moment I would open my mouth hundreds and thousands of people would flood here. The forest would be cut down to the floor just to find your kind and when they would unspeakable would happen!” ChangKyun grips to the edge of his notes and squeezes the pencils with his other hand. “I don’t know how protected you are but they would find a way to get to you, to capture you, to dissect you, to turn your land into an amusement park, to enslave you-you name it! They would try it all!” he almost yells, his hands shaking.

Gently Wonho unhooks ChangKyun’s hand from the notebook and places it down along with the almost broken pencils and takes the agonizing humans hands in his instead. “This has happened, right? You found something and it was destroyed,” he rather states than asks.

“I did. A small herd of pegasus at the very northern end of Britain. I was following a path of a druid tribe and it was an accident. But I couldn’t keep my mouth shut, even after I had spent weeks with them. In a month after I spoke out all of them were gone. I hope at least a couple escaped… but the rest,” a shaky breath leaves ChangKyun’s chest, his eyes getting glossy. “I tried to stop the other people, I truly did, but I couldn’t.”

“It was not your fault. And those majestic creatures back then knew it was not your fault either,” Wonho gently places his hand on ChangKyun’s cheek making the human to look at him. “You have a pure soul with no malicious intents, no magic is needed to see that,” he speaks, his hypnotizing gaze meeting ChangKyun’s. “So don’t blame yourself,” he continues, his hand still on ChangKyun’s cheek. All the human can do is a nod and sadly the moment he does the warm touch leaves his skin.

The cave sinks back into silence. ChangKyun picks the notebook back up, but instead of opening it puts it in his bag and places the bag down. He looks at the dancing flames for a moment - his chin back resting on his knees, his arms hugging his legs tightly to his chest - and soon the silence of the woods, the sparkling of the flames and the heavy memory load puts him to sleep.

Wonho barely catches the now asleep human before he falls down. Instead of lowering him towards to cave, where he was falling, he stretches out his legs and places the man’s head on them. “You are such a wonderfully curious creature,” he whispers as the human shifts in his sleep. “I wish I could have met you without those monsters chasing us,” he ads and softly pats the sleeping man’s head.

He hums a melody as old as the first bonfire, small sparkles from the still dancing fire jump high to the caves sealings. They twirl and dance to his voice until they land in the grass in front of the cave, grabbing forming dew drops along for a crazy waltz. The sparkles die out, the dew drops evaporate and a mist settles in front of the cave, covering the entrance from everyone’s sight and protecting the one’s eyes.

“You would have loved to see this,” Wonho smiles at the softly snoring ChangKyun and rests his own head against the wall of the cave, at least few hours of sleep essential for the upcoming morning.

 

The mist settles back on the grass as the sun rises above the trees. Dew drops settle back on the thin green stems while sun-bunnies rise up instead of brightly lit sparkles. The magic has disappeared along with the night and the wind now carries news of unforeseen danger straight to the cave.

Wonho opens his eyes, the sounds of huffing and puffing while three massive bodies ran through the forest towards them. The moment he moves the man still sleeping in his lap shifts and despite the truly innocent human had nothing to do with this, his curiosity had pulled him into this dangerous mess.

“ChangKyun, wake up,” Wonho says as he gently moves the human, resting him against the wall of the cave. “They are coming and fast,” he continues the second the human opens his eyes. It is obvious for a second how utterly confused he is, but he soon snaps out of it.

“Can’t we run?” he murmurs still half asleep.

“There’s three of them, so they will circle us no matter how fast and where we run. I can’t take them to the human village nor to my city,” the elf explains, the long dagger already in his hand. He is at the very entrance of the cave, ready to pounce forward the moment the ugly face of the monster animal would appear.

“You said you can cast spells, isn’t there one for this,” not knowing what to do ChangKyun picks up a larger rock from the gone out fireplace, hoping that for once his aim would not be horrible and he could at least get the hound in the eye.

“They take minutes to be chanted, we don’t have the time,” Wonho says and looks towards the trees where three large shadows had slowed down to sniff out the tracks.

ChangKyun’s heart pounds fast in his chest. There was no way - no matter how strong he was - for Wonho to take all three of those things just with a dagger. He needed help or he needed that spell. ChangKyun was no help at all, unless…

“How much time you need for the spell?” he asks and without Wonho noticing moves forward to the side where the elf held his weapon.

“At least 4 minutes, we have maybe two…” he begins to explain but the second he tells the time ChangKyun launches forward, grabbing the dagger from the man’s hand.

“I will get you 4 minutes! Start chanting!” he yells, making the hounds to notice him instantly. “Come here, fucking mutts!” he screams and not very gracefully climbs up a pile of rocks to the right of the cave.

“Changkyun!” Wonho jumps up and rushes out of the cave. The abominations were already staggering up the rocks and there no longer existed a choice. “Crazy human,” the elf murmurs as he locks his eyes at the now seemingly empty forest. “Better help me,” he utters before he raises his hands and begins chanting in a language never heard outside these woods. Despite the noises to his right, he can’t look to what is going on, all his concentration on the slowly shifting and rising forest. ‘3 minutes, last 3 minutes ChangKyun’ he pleads in his thoughts.

Meanwhile, the human has climbed almost to the very top of the rock. The whatever the dog creatures truly were they were closely following, climbing rocks faster than ChangKyun had imagined. One of the three seems to notice Wonho and is about to turn around when ChangKyun flings a rock at it his head, which is a brilliant but also a stupid idea, as not the monster is enraged and reaches the top even faster.

Behind him now is a steep fall and in front of him three drooling demon hounds. It was not the best mornings but oddly he hadn’t felt this alive in a while. He moves to the side and the dogs follow him, ready to attack any second. Catching them and himself by surprise he launches at them first, barely getting through a gap between one of the hound's legs, jabbing the dagger straight into its rib cage. A great move if only not the loss of a weapon and the fact the dog didn’t seem very fazed by it.

The creature launches at ChangKyun, his jaw closing centimeters in front of his face, his arm now tightly in the jaws of the monster. A pained scream echoes around the woods. “Fucking son of a bitch!” ChangKyun yells through pain and full force kicks the monstrous dog in the throat. It frees his hand, and even though it hurts like hell and is bleeding severely, he can move now. He is about to move down the same way he climbed up, but something hits his back hard and he is sent flying, hitting the nearest tree straight on.

He can feel something in his chest breaking and he is out of breath. Things get blurry before his eyes, breathing becoming a harder task second by second. One of the hounds jumps from the cliff right in front of ChangKyun and he is ready to face a very bitter end, but something grabs the dog and lifts it up. There is a pained whine and the abomination is ripped in half.

It is as if the whole forest has taken a shape of a large monster itself. Trees with birds nests and roots with ingrown rocks had all merged into a gigantic dendroid. Behind him, enveloped in bright green light, stood Wonho - his hair loose, flying in the wind, his eyes gleaming green. Whatever move he made so did the tree monster and if not the excruciating pain coming from his crushed ribs and torn apart arm he would be truly fascinated by the view.

First one, then other of the still remaining monster hit the cliff with such force part of the rock falls on them, pinning their bodies against the ground. The dendroid, however, freezes in its spot and slowly begins to fall apart. Trees fall on the ground as if they had always grown there and in seconds the larger forest man has become the forest itself.

“ChangKyun!” the human hears his name being called and strong arms collecting him into an embrace, which he is thankful for, as he is on the verge of physically falling apart.

“Told you I would get those 4 minutes,” he smiles weakly, barely seeing anything as his vision goes dimmer and dimmer. “Also I think this poison of theirs might not be okay for humans either,” he ads before a painful intake of air sends him into an even more painful cough attack.

“Hold on, just a little bit,” ChangKyun hears the voice and feels how he is being lifted up. He feels the wind going past his ears as if the one carrying him is running but the more time passes the less he feels until everything is simply black around him and he feels nothing.


	2. Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, click on the crystals if you want to see how they look!

In all of the countless years that had passed by Wonho almost in a blink of an eye, he had never felt such fear for another living being coursing through his veins. He speeds through the forest, the distant sound of more hounds reaching his heightened senses, but he doesn’t stop to listen where exactly they are coming from. He has absolutely no time for that as the fading human in his arms means so much more.

His heart is still beating and he is breathing, however, he is not conscious. Blood is pouring out of the ripped apart arm in obscene amounts, the gashes deep - reaching the bone that peaks white from between layers of tissues and blood. The human shivers his breathing deep and uneven as if his lungs refuse to accept each inhale. There is no time to spare, that Wonho knew well.

The city appears hidden between large, centuries-old trees and rocks as old as the earth itself, and the elf only speeds up. He ignores curious looks and maneuvers through less populated places heading straight for his goal. Not stopping even to open the door, he barges into the royal hall, kicking the said door open.

“Finally!” a man shorter than Wonho, his hair long and silver, the very tips fading into a rose pink, stands up his face pulled into a frown until he notices the human in Wonho’s arms. “Dear heavens! What happened?” he exclaims and heads to a sofa on the side of the room and Wonho does the same. He clears it off all pillows but one and helps Wonho to lay the human on it.

“Human… He’s human. What have you dragged him into?” the man is now speaking an octave higher than before. “I’m getting Hyungwon!” he exclaims without even getting a word from Wonho and runs out of the royal hall.

“Hang in there, just a little bit,” Wonho whispers, kneeling next to the sofa. He reaches out to pat the humans head but pulls it back as it is covered in deep red, the metallic stench filling the air of the hall. His hand shakes and he quickly places it on his knees. The feelings rushing through his body - the excruciating guilt, the agonizing fear - almost paralyzed him then and there.

“Wonho!” the shorter man returns, a much tall, skinnier man with pure white hair follows along, two other men following him. The taller man instantly kneels next to Wonho and lays his hands on the human’s face. He closes his eyes in concentration and lets out a deep exhale.

“Bad, this is bad. He’s fading and fast,” the tall man going by the name Hyungwon concludes and goes to undress the human’s upper body. Even though stress is getting to Wonho faster than any other time, he helps and so does the pink-haired elf.

“We need to stop the bleeding. Minhyuk,” Hyungwon turns to one of the men behind him - a rather tall man with exquisite features, the tips of his silver hair colored deep purple. His eyes were full of tears as he looked at the helpless, barely breathing human. “Get washing clothes and water,” Hyungwon instructs and the bespoken one just nods before dashing off.

“And Jooheon,” he now turns to the other man, his hair colored fire orange and the very end and braided. “My supply bag,” he says and the man runs to the direction all of them came from.

“This is very bad,” Hyungwon continues murmuring, laying his palm flat on the human’s exposed chest, which has colored in deep purples and greens, the bruise covering almost all of his torso. “Nothing is piercing his lungs, however, the rib cage is crushed tightly around his lungs,” he speaks and turns back to the grotesque looking arm, both men returning the very second with required items.

“The dosage of poison he received is too grand, even for a human,” he continues speaking as he hands a wet washcloth to Kihyun who has now kneeled on the floor as well. Wonho has moved more to the side, his eyes not leaving the motionless body of the curious, endearing human - the purest human he had probably ever met.

He suddenly had no strength to move closer and help and all he could do was watch how the water in the basin Minhyuk brought turns red, how a needle thread through one layer of tissues and then another and then mends together torn skin, layers of ointment covering it. He can’t even move a muscle while the arm is bandaged with white cotton strips, red soaking through them despite the treatment.

“Even if we take him to the medical hall and proceed with surgery, there is no guarantee he will live through it,” Hyungwon has laid his hand on human’s chest again. “If the poison has reached his lungs then even if we free them he won’t be able to breathe and pass away on the table,” his voice is grim, eyebrow furrowed as he looks at the barely holding on man.

“Poor boy,” the pink haired man breathes out with true pity in his voice, while two others can only look at him with sorrow in their eyes.

“The Eternal springs,” Wonho finally speaks and all eyes turn to him. “If I take him to Eternal springs, could they heal him?” he asks and looks at the men now staring intensely at him. “Hyungwon, you are a healer with 3 millenniums of knowledge - would he be healed?” Wonho asks again, directing the question at the medic.

“Yes, I suppose the intense healing and rejuvenating magic of Eternal springs could heal him, but also with no guarantee. He is human, so the magical intake he can handle is small. Even if it is a success the recovery process would be very long, an absorbent needed and…” he wants to continue but Wonho doesn’t hear him anymore. He finally stands up and stands next to the sofa for a second before gathering the human in his arms again.

“You will actually do it? You will break the law of Eternal springs by bringing a mortal human there?” the pink haired man stands up and follows Wonho as he begins walking to a large door on the right side of the hall. “I am sorry for the poor boy, but the laws…”

“I am the law,” Wonho stops. His voice is deep and serious and all four men in the room are frozen. “Never forget that Kihyun,” he ads looking over his shoulder before continuing to walk. “Minhyuk, come along,” he says as he walks through the door and the bespoken elf scurries after him, quickly glancing at the three that remain.

“He’s not wrong, you know,” Hyungwon now stands next to Kihyun. “Seems like that boy has strung something in him, so I suggest we pray he doesn’t pass on,” he ads and pats the shorter man on the shoulder before collecting his belonging and walking away. Jooheon follows and Kihyun stands in the middle of the royal hall for a moment longer before letting out a long sigh.

“He better survive then,” he looks at the door for a moment longer before turning to the bloodied mess on the sofa. “He might actually be special if you care so much,” he ads, thanking a glance at the high throne at the very end of the hall.

 

“Please, hold him for a moment,” Wonho pleads, his voice now soft and gentle again, as he hands the human to Minhyuk right before a large, stone door covered with silver and azure lines in patterns recreating plants and flowers. They had walked through the door in the main hall, through the courtyard and then down a locked passageway. Their path had led don in the depths of the earth below the elf city.

“What is his name?” Minhyuk asks as the barely breathing human is put in his arms. His heart tightens at the sight of his chest barely moving, the red spreading in his bandage, his lips pale blue already. 

“ChangKyun. His name is ChangKyun,” Wonho replies and turns to the door. He puts his palms together and places them against the bridge of his nose. Few lines of enchantment fall from his lips and the blue lines in the door shine brighter and in a second the door begins to move. 

It reveals a large cave, shining in pale blue light but with no apparent light source. The walls are covered with beaming strings of azure and silver, meadows of smaller and taller [blue aragonites](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1543/5647/products/AR-002-001_1024x1024.jpg?v=1508033777) and [blue calcites](https://img.etsystatic.com/il/5a4df1/1293192824/il_340x270.1293192824_ok4z.jpg?version=0) bloom in their own odd way across from the door. A pond of water in the same color of blue aragonite separates the small, rough patch of simple grey rock from the forest of crystals. A single beam of light falls from high above, hitting the colorful minerals and sending the light around the room.

“I’ll take him,” Wonho reaches out his arms and with no questions, Minhyuk places the human in them.

“Please, wake up, ChangKyun,” he says with his eyes sorrowful and leans over to place a kiss on the human’s forehead, small bright pink sparkles jumping from the contact. “Or at least dream nice dreams,” he ads and bows before leaving. 

The door falls close again, leaving Wonho and ChangKyun alone in the cave. The elf walks to the very edge of the water and places the man down. In a blink of an eye, he rids himself of the dirty clothes he was still wearing and frees his hair from the bow. Just for a second, he is hesitant before ridding the human of the last pieces of clothing. He steps into the water first, the light from all across the pond now concentrating on him and almost sticking to his form. Carefully he takes Changkyun in his arms once again before walking to the middle of the basin.

The water reaches his shoulders, his feet firmly on the crystal-covered bottom. With great care, he lowers ChangKyun into the water to the point only his face is above it. At first, the blue lights dancing in the water avoid him but in a couple of minutes, they slowly start to gather around him as well. They stick to his arm and chest in packs, creating clouds of light in the water. The red from the bandage seeps into the water just for a moment until the lights cover the whole arm, not letting a single droplet of blood to escape.

“You would love to see this,” Wonho whispers as he smoothes the now wet hair away from ChangKyun’s face. “You would be so fascinated about all of this, waiting to draw the tiniest detail,” he ads and looks at the concerning bruise on the human’s chest that doesn’t get any smaller despite the sparkling little lights swarming around it.

“Come on. Fight a bit more,” he almost pleads. “You took on monsters from nightmare depths, you can fight for your life a bit more,” his palms rest on ChangKyun’s cheek, his thumb running over the smooth skin. “I just met you, you curious thing,” Wonho smiles sadly at the man who was so fascinating and endearing to him, probably to the same extent as he was to ChangKyun.

“I can’t lose you right after we just met,” he ads and his eyes travel down the on the inside crushes torso just to see the lights backing away. 

“No,” he gasps and lowers his ear to the human’s nose. There is barely any breathing and it is too irregular to provide him with enough oxygen. “No, no, no, no,” he chants continuously. “Fight!” he exclaims, his heart pounding in his chest like mad. “You can’t go,” he sounds desperate, the guilt he had felt since the moment ChangKyun rushed out of the cave clouding his mind for a moment. This was his fault, his responsibility after all.

“Fine. I get it. It’s my turn to fight,” Wonho says in a shaky voice before taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He closes his eyes and begins a low hum that resonates around the cave. In rings between the crystals and courses through the veins in the rock. It vibrates in the water and reaches the very top of the high ceilings. From all corners, smaller and bigger blue lights gather up. They all swarm to Wonho in remarkable speed and start to stick to his skin.

They crawl over his hair, freely floating in the water, and sticks to his back. Every part of him is covered in a light blue hue apart from his face. Wonho inhales deeply, all lights as if absorbing into his skin. His eyes open - brighter blue than a clear summer sky and full of light and he leans closer to ChangKyun. His hand cups the man’s face and he gently pulls his lips open with his thumb before pressing his mouth on ChangKyun’s.

The elf exhales a stream of the blue lights flowing from his lips into ChangKyun, the gleam visible even through the human’s skin as they travel down his throat. The lights go crazy in ChangKyun’s chest before slowly dying out. The bruise gets smaller and a bit of color returns to the human’s lips, his breathing more even, but still weak. 

Wonho repeats the same actions again. He hums and collects the sparkling lights from the cave again, sending a new wave into ChangKyun’s body. He repeats it again and again until the human’s breathing is normal, the visible injuries gone and he flutters his eyes open. Even though just for a second, his eyes open and look at Wonho with such intensity of emotions it makes Wonho’s chest tighten. There is the small smile on ChangKyun’s lips before he falls back into unconsciousness again. This time it beginning the long process of recovery.

The elf carries ChangKyun out of the water and wraps him in one of the robes that stood by the side of the pond, throwing on one himself. As carefully as before he holds the human close and makes his way up from the cave, yet at the exit next to the courtyard Kihyun and Minhyuk are already waiting for him.

“Did it work?” Minhyuk speaks first, looking at the man in Wonho’s arms. “Will he be okay?” he asks and looks at the blue-haired elf who nods with a smile finally appearing on his lips. There is a sigh of relief from Minhyuk, his soft heart already feeling for the boy.

“Did you perhaps break more laws?” Kihyun as if ruins the relieving moment, however, his face clearly states that he is glad about the outcome as well. He tried to be the voice of reason in any situation, but even his old heart felt the same intense way as everyone else's. 

“I created new ones,” Wonho replies shortly and walks between the two elves and proceeds back to the main hall, only now he walks to a door hidden behind the throne. 

“Where are you taking him?” Kihyun is quick to speed in front of him with once again stern look on his face.

“To my room, of course,” the taller of two replies and continues his path, the pink-haired elf not being able to stop him.

“He needs someone to balance him out, to be a filter and rid him of all the spare magic he just accumulated,” Kihyun proceeds to talk as he follows Wonho, Minhyuk right behind them.

“I know. I will do it myself,” comes another very matter of fact answer and Kihyun is taken aback for a second, even freezing on spot before catching up again.

“You can’t be serious. You have things to do and you can’t lay around for a week or more until he recovers,” the pink-haired elf follows Wonho into a large room with high ceilings and large windows. A king and a half sized bed with high intricately vine-pattern carved bed posts and a layered canopy above it stood in the middle of the wall, light from the two large windows falling directly onto it.

There was a desk next to one of the windows, covered in scrolls and books, a chair of as complicated woodwork as the bed posts were next to it. The other window had a door, slightly ajar at the moment, that led to a small porch with a view on a coursing river, the sound of water rushing over the mossy rocks filling the room.

As carefully as before Wonho places ChangKyun on the bed and despite his movements being followed by two pairs of eyes he swiftly moves to the porch door and closes it. He lowers one of the layers of the canopy on the window side, creating a slightly green tinted twilight on the bed. He is well aware he could ask others to do it, but he had a deep feeling he should do it himself, that it was his responsibility.

“Will I be able to talk you out of this madness? Can’t you assign someone else?” Kihyun asks and even though he does, he walks to the wooden closet at the further side of the room and takes out two sets of simple linen clothing - two shirts and two pants. Meanwhile, Minhyuk has rushed to a bathroom and returned back, now sitting on the bed and gently drying ChangKyun’s hair with a towel.

“The Eternal springs are very specific, you know that. Only I can fully serve as an absorbent for that amount of magic,” the blue-haired elf replies and takes the clothes handed to him. He throws the robe on the chair next to the desk and pulls on the pants, the shirt being thrown on the chair as well. 

The duo has meanwhile changed the unconscious human into the clothes they had picked despite them being a bit big on his frame. It I, not an action required for them to do, however, there has always been this caring spark in both of them, so it is only natural. Perhaps it was the reason they were so close to Wonho.

They do step aside when Wonho nears the bed and don’t say a word when climbs into the bed, however their eyes, especially Kihyun’s, follow his every move. For the nth time, he gathers the human is his arms - the head crowned with a messy nest of brown hair resting on his chest - as he leans back against the headrest. “I will step out if an urgent need will occur and assign one of you to stay with him during that time. Deal?” he says as he pulls one of the covers on top of the human and it might be a reaction natural to his kind but he can swear ChangKyun moves closer to him on his own.

“It is a deal as if we could change your mind anyway,” Kihyun sighs and takes a small bow before leaving the room.

“Call us if you need, okay?” Minhyuk asks with a smile and Wonho just nods in response. Minhyuk leaves moments later and the two remain alone again.

Silence settles in the room. The quiet rustling of the river outside can still be heard along with chirping birds. Footsteps echo around the halls and distant voices talk about everyday troubles. But both of them are enveloped in the silence of the room, the green light falling from the canopy curtain turning darker as the sun begins to set outside, the longest, most intense day in centuries coming to its end.

“What a meeting is this, huh? Sharing a bed one day later,” Wonho smiles and threads his fingers through the messy brown hair, trying to put them in some sort of order. “Though the reason is grim, holding you seems very right,” he continues as his fingers gently trace over the outline of ChangKyun’s face. There was something about this human, just this one, that made it worth it to worry. And yes, Wonho had just met him very accidentally a day ago, but there was something so captivating, so precious he couldn’t deny.

He had met his fair share of adventurers, explorers, and scientists over the year and though curious, they were always driven by ulterior motives. Fame, money, recognition, pride, spite, competitiveness - they had displayed it all. But ChangKyun, this silly little human who jumped at monsters, he was just curious. He simply wanted to know and in millenniums Wonho hadn’t seen curiosity so pure.

“I will have so many things to show you when you wake up and you will love them all. So, it’s your turn to fight again and wake up soon,” he whispers and presses a kiss on the human’s forehead. His own body had reached its limit and holding the human close he drifts to sleep himself.

 

The recovery process is long, longer than expected, but not that anyone truly knew what to expect. The two weeks ChangKyun remains asleep are full of anxiety and anticipation, but Wonho can’t neglect his duties, no matter how much he would want to stay with the human, keep him close and witness him waking up. The first time he has to leave for a meeting, he asks Kihyun to stay with ChangKyun.

With no surprise, the pink-haired elf looks after him as if it was his responsibility. He sits at the edge of the bed, both of ChangKyun’s hands in his, his thumbs drawing circles on them, and sings. It’s just a melody with no words, but pale pink sun bunnies, in their form almost reminding of pixies or fairies, dance around the sleeping boy. They play hide and seek in his hair and jump over his long eyelashes. They dance on his cheeks and twirl with Kihyun’s fingers on ChangKyun’s hands. That’s the first day when ChangKyun’s arms tighten around Wonho in his sleep.

The day Minhyuk stays with ChangKyun is one of the last ones before his awakening and Wonho believes it was a key factor. The purple-haired elf was sitting on the bed, his back resting against the headboard. ChangKyun’s head was in his lap and he was gently petting in, pink sparkles jumping from each touch. He just looked up and smiled at Wonho returning, who sat down on the bed.

“He’s having wonderful dreams. His mind is so clear,” Minhyuk says with a knowing smile. “He dreams of you a lot,” he ads and rests his hand fully on ChangKyun’s forehead. “But I think he will soon wake up. It’s time,” he smiles brightly and moves, letting Wonho take his place. “Be a bit more patient.”

As if Minhyuk’s words themselves were magic, ChangKyun wakes up two days later.

It is a sunny morning, an autumn rainstorm had passed through the night before and each slowly coloring leaf, each stem of a flower, was drenched last night and now is gleaming in the rays of the rising sun. There no birds chirping this time around, but the doors to the porch are open, letting the fresh air in. It rustles the curtains of the canopy and instead of one, two forms move in the bed.

ChangKyun slowly blinks his eyes open. His whole body is stiff as if he hadn’t moved for days and his head is slightly dizzy. The first intake of breath he has aches his chest a little, but he stubbornly takes another deep inhale. For his surprise, his nose meets a flowery, but fresh scent. It does smell like the woods after the rain, but the undertone is a bit different - richer, deeper. His eyes are out of focus and only by the third inhale he can see clearly.

His eyes meet a sturdy, pale chest that is serving as his pillow and for a second he freaks out. Driven by an instinct he jumps, regretting it immediately as he gets dizzy, but his eyes return to normal focus soon. He moves up from his ‘pillow’ and gasps as he sees Wonho’s face. The elf is waking up slowly, blinking his eyes and it seems that it takes him a moment to realize what is going on as well. However, his reaction is completely different.

“ChangKyun?” he first asks as if in disbelief before cheering almost too loudly. “ChangKyun!” he near yells and launches forward, enveloping the human in a tight hug. “Finally. Thank the heavens,” he murmurs holding the confused human close.

“What… is going on?” ChangKyun can’t deny he is confused, however, the hug is so warm, so sincere, so safe he naturally wraps his own arms around Wonho.

There is a quick knock on the door an elf with pink tinted hair at the ends rush in. “Did he wake up?” he asks the very second he steps into the room, his face blooming into a smile upon seeing the two before him. “I will prepare breakfast. You must be hungry,” he says with a small bow and leaves.

“I am so confused,” ChangKyun admits when Wonho finally let’s go of him. “What happened? Where are we?” he asks and looks around the room. “Why… am I in your bed?” he adds another question and feels how his cheeks color pink.

“I will give you a short recap, as I believe you will be far more interested to learn more yourself,” Wonho smiles and after ChangKyun nods briefly sums up the fight, the healing, and the recovery. All this time Changkyun looks at him wide-eyed and with his lips slightly open. 

“So, I almost died?” he asks with an evident disturbance in his voice but Wonho can just honestly reply ‘yes’. “But you saved me?” he follows with another question and even though unwillingly Wonho replies to that with a ‘yes’ as well. “Wow…” he breathes out and stares at the blankets between them for a second. “I have so many questions,” he murmurs as the door of the room open again, the pink-haired elf returning.

“I do believe you have a lot to ask, but you haven’t eaten in a while,” he smiles a welcoming smile and places a try of never seen food for ChangKyun between them. “Help yourself,” he encourages and proceeds to tie back the canopy curtains. “The bread you see is called lembas* and even a small bite can make you feel full so maybe keep it for the…” he turns back to the bed and lets out a sigh as half of one bread piece is stuffed in ChangKyun’s mouth, it is the most familiar looking thing for him.

“I understand he didn’t know,” the elf sighs, “but you?” he looks at Wonho who has managed to stuff a whole piece of the bread in his mouth. There comes a mumbled response, sounding like ‘they are tasty’ and the pink-haired elf just shakes his head. “Should I prepare the Purple spring? For after the breakfast?” he asks and there is just a nod in reply. The elf shakes his head as he leaves the room, leaving them alone again.

“Who is he?” ChangKyun asks trying out one of the other dishes on the tray. He didn’t know how actually hungry he was until he began to eat. Two week is a long time. He is surprised he hadn’t lost weight, but magical healing is obviously different.

“An old friend. His name is Kihyun,” Wonho replies as he breaks half of the bread, dips it in something that looks a lot like jam and puts in his mouth. ChangKyun nods at the response and repeats the same action, the combination actually tasking quite good.

“And what are the Purple springs?” his curious nature forces him to continue with another question.

“After such long healing process, the Purple springs just cleanse the body so it could return to everyday routines easier,” the blue-haired elf replies. Only now ChangKyun fully starts to take in what was before him. Wonho was still shirtless, his chiseled body on display, though partially hidden by his magnificent hair cascading over one of his shoulders. He had most common pants that looked like slacks on, his one leg bent while other had its foot firmly resting on the bed, the knee serving as a resting place for Wonho’s hand. He looked like an art piece from a storybook, like a prince in a very odd way and ChangKyun’s cheeks turned pink again.

The breakfast is done in 20 minutes and the next task is actually getting out of the bed. The second ChangKyun steps on the floor, his legs wobble and if not Wonho’s arm securely wrapped around his middle, he would have fallen.

“This is why you need the Purple springs. To get your body back on track,” Wonho smiles. He has thrown on a simple tunic, his hair now falling over his back, and every second he became more and more gorgeous in ChangKyun’s eyes, as now the fear and adrenaline didn’t cloud his mind.

They walk slowly, ChangKyun still unstable, plenty of people greeting them on the way. Wonho names all of them - the smiley Minhyuk, the tall Hyungwon, the cute Jooheon, the broad-shouldered guard Shown - amongst many others. The house they move through is large, the courtyard matching its sizes, but the pathways to the caves below truly take ChangKyun’s breath away. The staircases carved into cliffs, the crystals serving as light sources, the various doors leading to many different springs. He doesn’t even notice how tightly he is holding onto Wonho’s hand.

“Give me a second,” Wonho smiles as he unhooks ChangKyun from his hand, the latter having a cute tint in his cheeks. It takes just a moment to recite an enchantment to open the door. Light purple light flows from the cave, [amethyst](https://smhttp-ssl-64693.nexcesscdn.net/media/wysiwyg/crystal-meanings/amethyst-amethystmeaning.jpg) lining against the walls and ceilings, reflecting each beam of light that entered the room. ChangKyun is almost too stunned to step in, but he follows Wonho anyway.

“This is amazing,” he whispers, the whisper echoing around the empty walls, floating over the lilac pond. Another wow drops from his lips as he turns to where Wonho is standing. The elf had begun to strip, his clothes leaving his body one after another. It was a sight ChangKyun had seen - a marvelous back view not even a bit hindered by the silver and blue hair, but just enhanced by it. 

He observes quietly as Wonho calmly walks into the pond until half of his body is in the water. The moment he turns around ChangKyun jumps a little, registering how hard he is staring. “Come on,” Wonho extends his hand. “Just standing there won’t help,” he smiles and it hits ChangKyun across the head he needs to go in, without clothes.

“I’m not sure,” he murmurs and looks around the cave for an escape that obviously wasn’t there. He needed the springs, even without knowing their effect, he knew he needed it. 

“I must admit, that when I first took you to one of the springs, I had to undress you. Even though I was focused on your recovery, you have no reason to be ashamed, I assure you” the elf smiles the most sincere smile and even though ChangKyun feels his cheeks burning up he slowly removes the clothes he was wearing.

Like a scared duck - sideways - he walks toward the pond and even begins getting in sideways as well. His legs, however, are still not stable enough and just like when getting out of the bed he wobbles, almost falling headfirst into the pond. He squeezes his eyes shut, ready to hit the water, but the impact is a lot less than he thought it would be, his face never reaching the surface of the pond. However, he feels very familiar warmth wrapping around him.

ChangKyun opens his eyes, meeting Wonho looking at him with the softest gaze. He should pull away, his taught behavior to be ashamed of his naked form and intimate contact like this - Wonho holding him rather close after he had caught him yet again -, but he doesn’t. Instead, his hands naturally rest on Wonho’s shoulders, their eyes locking.

“How much do you want to know about this world that is so new to you?” Wonho asks as he slowly moves both of them more to the center of the pond.

“As much as I am allowed to,” ChangKyun responds immediately, making Wonho laugh out loud.

“Then are you willing to stay here for quite a long time?” the elf asks another question and ChangKyun’s answer is immediate.

“Yes!” he exclaims and Wonho’s turn almost hypnotizing. His fingers curl under ChangKyun’s chin and he leans almost too dangerously close.

“Wonderful,” the elf smiles and finally pulls away, swimming further in the pond, leaving ChangKyun confused but intrigued, to say the least. He was determined to find out every detail about this new place, about his marvelous resurrection and above all - about Wonho. Even if it took years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The question of the chapter: Why is Wonho so 'special'? Can you guess?  
> P.S Last chapter, a bit spicy, coming this weekend! Stick around!


	3. Living

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a "filler" to build up the finale COMING TOMORROW

Everything about the new world slowly unraveling before ChangKyun’s eyes was amazing - from the way it was built to the wonderful creatures living in it. Unlike fantasy scenarios where tall castles hid between majestic waterfalls, walls of magic protecting them from outsiders, nothing more but nature guarded them here. Houses built between centuries-old trees and carved into hillocks and sturdy rocks. Some hiding high in the trees, some beneath the ground and moss covered rocks. The largest of them all - where ChangKyun had awakened in - was a part of a large rock standing there at least since ice ages, carved through the thick minerals, just like passageways that lead down to the various springs.

Creatures of magic roamed around and ChangKyun’s eyes didn’t know where to stop as he followed Wonho through the improvised streets. Some elves had wings, some had horns sprouting next to their pointy ears. Some were taller, some were shorter - broader and thicker - but all breathtaking in their unique ways. Both men and women with long, silver hair, the tips of the hair coloring in all shades red and close to it, or having no color at all. All of their eyes meeting ChangKyun read nothing but kindness and it almost made him feel uneasy. Were they really as nice as stories were telling? What was even odder was how all of them bowed upon seeing Wonho.

“Why are they all bowing?” ChangKyun moves closer to the elf and asks quietly. He sees how another pair approaches them and leans forward in a greeting, Wonho returning it with a much smaller amplitude.

“It’s just a way of greeting each other,” Wonho brushes off the question and turns to left, a large oak tree visible at the end of the road.

“Does it matter who bows first in regards on how deep the bow is?” the human is persistent yet in his clumsiness and because the clothes are a bit too big for him almost tumbles down, tripping over his own feet, Wonho catching him for the third time in a day.

“We are heading to a place that will answer all of your questions,” he smiles gently and instead of simply letting ChangKyun go, he keeps the human’s hand in his and walks to the large or rather gigantic oak tree. The skin to skin contact makes blood rush to ChangKyun’s cheeks again, but the touch seems as familiar is it could be. He couldn't even think of pulling away. Instead the need to perhaps be even closer courses through him, however, that he pushes away.

The closer they get to the tree, the more ginormous it is. The crown of it makes an enormous dome that is slowly coloring in rusty orange tone as autumn begins to settle in the woods. At the very bottom, there is a door, almost unseen if glanced at quickly, but Wonho leads them straight to it. Instead of leading into a room, it opens a path to a staircase lit by green shining crystals, that goes down. Still holding onto Wonho’s hand ChangKyun follows the elf into the depths below the tree. Roots crawl through the walls along with veins of green crystals and even as the path goes deeper, the tree as if persistently follows it.

It’s a bit of a climb but they reach a brightly lit, circular room. A small balcony with a railing rises above it, giving a full view on it, and ChangKyun finally lets go of Wonho’s hand to walk closer. He grips onto the railing and lets his eyes first travel up and then back down before he turns and looks up again - his mouth open the whole time. Thousands upon thousands of books covered the tall walls almost higher than ChangKyun’s eyes could see. Book covers in all colors, scriptures on the side he can and can’t understand at the same time. An incredible wave of excitement trembles in his chest and he turns to Wonho.

“This is amazing,” he gasps and the elf simply smiles. The sparkles jumping in ChangKyun’s eyes is the most beautiful sight he has ever seen. Pure curiosity, pure need to know has led him this far and this is the greatest reward.

“You are free to read whatever you want,” Wonho speaks and takes a few steps closer, resting against the railing. “The language in the books is as universal as the one we speak, so it should be fine,” he adds and looks at ChangKyun whose eyes are once more wondering around the room. This is the place for him. Not aimlessly wandering around the woods and getting into trouble.

“Sir!” a voice from below speaks and both of them look down. A rather short man with shining silver hair, pointy ears almost too big for his head, stands in the middle of the room, looking up. “You have returned from your journey!” he says and Wonho nods before walking down the comparingly small flight of stairs to the bottom of the room, ChangKyun following him.

“Any luck in new material?” the shorter man rushes closer to them, bowing slightly and out of a habit ChangKyun is the one who bows back. “And who is he?” the elf asks looking at ChangKyun, full of curiosity.

“All in good order,” Wonho smiles and takes ChangKyun’s hand in his again, bringing him more forward. “This is Woozi. He has been taking care of this library since that oak tree was just a seed,” he introduces the man to ChangKyun and his head gets dizzy for a second, trying to grasp the age of the man before him.

“And this, my dear friend,” Wonho now speaks to Woozi, “is someone better than any book. A human scholar,” he says with a tint of pride in his voice. “He has come here to learn more about us and you in return can learn more about humans,” he explains and ChangKyun turns to him as if questioning the statement.

“Woozi here is a part of this library as roots are a part of a tree, so he is very keen on learning more about the world beyond this village and how it changes,” Wonho explains and ChangKyun nods in response. Both of them look at the smaller man who has now begun to clean off one of the three desks that stood in the middle of the room in a semi-circle.

“If he is a scholar, he will need a place for his studies,” he explains as he lifts a large volume of a book of unknown origin from the table, his legs wobbling. Only now ChangKyun notices Wonho has been holding onto his hand this whole time as the elf lets go and move forward, taking the book from the smaller man and taking it to a podium in the middle of the room.

“This is the catalog of all things we have,” the smaller elf explains, wiping his forehead as if he just did the carrying. “Find what you need and I will get it to you. If sir allows, nothing is off limits,” he adds with a smile and continues to clean the desk from smaller books and paper scrolls. 

A bit took aback but still excited to no end ChangKyun walks to the large book and opens it. The covers are heavy, seemingly from wood with an intricate flower and animal carvings decorating them. He expects not to understand a single thing written there, but the symbols before his eyes make sense in half a minute and he starts listing through the pages slowly.

“Anything jumps out to you?” Wonho approaches him so quietly the human jumps a little.

“I think I should start with the history of elves, I assume there is a section for that, and then I can think of other topics. There are so many things I would love to read,” he replies while still turning the pages. “One lifetime is not enough for all this. I might stay here with you for a very, very long time,” he smiles and turns to Wonho, their eyes meeting and almost an electric feeling courses through his body. The words he just spoke casually as if rustle something in the air and both of them remain frozen and silent.

“Sir, will there be any limitations?” Woozi breaks the silence and they snap out of this strange momentarily trance.

“No. He can read whatever he wants,” Wonho replies still looking at ChangKyun with the softest smile on his full lips. “Are you interested in seeing anything else, or would you like to stay here for a while?” the blue-haired elf asks, well knowing the answer already.

“Perhaps we can look at something else tomorrow. I kind of want to start exploring this wonderful place,” ChangKyun replies with a small, shy smile and it is as endearing as it possibly can.

“Of course. Then would you mind if I go run some urgent errands meanwhile?” the elf asks and only when ChangKyun nods, the human’s full focus on the book, he leaves, exchanging a few quick words with Woozi on his way out. ChangKyun assumes it might be about him, but the words before him take priority and he disappears in the book register for good 30 minutes. 

It is difficult to make a choice of what to read, but as planned he starts with books that cover the most about elf society and follows Woozi’s suggestion on which one to start with. He sits at the desk freed for him and dives into the world of facts that were similar to myths and fairytales he had read but so much more detailed and in depth. Some of them debunk things he knows, some confirm them and he is more and more fascinated by each word he reads.

He notices how the other books he has requested appear in a neat pile next to him but other than that he is in a completely different world. He wishes he would have his notes to write down the most important things, to sketch down what he has seen and to connect it to the written words. His brain seems fuzzy at moments and he can feel he hasn’t been using it actively during his healing process, but he couldn’t lose time. It is after all unclear how long he would be able to stay here. ChangKyun barely notices when his name is being called over and over again but lifts his eyes from the pages after the 5th call.

“Someone is here to take you back. It’s already late,” Woozi speaks and looks up at the staircase where an elf he saw earlier - Jooheon is his name if ChangKyun remembers correctly - is standing. “You can return any time you want,” the librarian elf smiles and ChangKyun nods and stands up, looking down at the book that only had a chapter or two undread.

“Can I take it with me? I will return it tomorrow,” he looks at the book and then at Woozi, who seems shocked for a second but then blooms into the brightest smile.

“Amazing!” he cheers “I never knew human scholars were so keen to learn! Absolutely amazing!” he claps his hands. “Yes, feel free to take it along!” he says and quickly walks to his own desk to write something down. ChangKyun stares in shock at the smaller elf but does not question his behavior much. He closes the book and hugs it with both arms before making his way up the stairs.

The elf waiting for him is a tad bit taller than him with round, soft looking cheeks and narrow eyes, however, radiates both commanding and relaxing aura. He greets Changkyun with a small smile, dimples in his cheeks showing. “Dinner should be served soon, so we should go,” he says in a deep but kind voice and ChangKyun just nods. As they walk up the stairs he notes the ends of the elf’s hair, collected in a broad braid, are deep fire orange. His outfit seems more formal than the one other people on the streets were wearing, but so did the librarians. It was still something for ChangKyun to research as all he managed to read today was the comparison with myths.

As they exit the library ChangKyun let’s out a quiet ‘ouh’ as pitch black night has settled on the streets. There are lights dancing in some of the windows, but the streets are quiet and empty. For his surprise the elf next to him hums a low tone, his hand reaching out into the dark, and in seconds small fire boys jump around his fingers. They jump to edges to the houses and branches of the trees and run around, jumping wherever they can like excited children.

“Wow,” ChangKyun gasps and there is another dimpled smile from the elf, this time more proud. They walk the empty streets, the fire spirits running in front of them and showing the way until they reach the largest house in the town. At the door, the pink-haired elf Kihyun is waiting already.

“I will take him to the dining hall. Thank you, Jooheon,” he says with a small bow and the fire-haired elf returns it before turning around and leaving to the right, his little sprites still showing him the way.

“That’s amazing,” ChangKyun half gasps making Kihyun chuckle.

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet,” he says and even though confused ChangKyun doesn’t question it now. He follows the pink-haired man through the hallways, passing a larger hall that looked too large for any practical purpose until they reach an average sized room. A roundtable is set in the middle of it with a selection of foods on it. An elf he recognized as Minhyuk is already sitting at it and so is Wonho. From a side of the room through another door Jooheon walks in as well and after doing the same bow greeting to Wonho as everyone else takes a seat next to Minhyuk.

“The scholar has returned!” Wonho cheers upon seeing ChangKyun. “Sit!” he taps the seat next to him and ChangKyun nods with a smile he can’t contain before making his way to the said seat.

“I’ll take it to your room,” Kihyun makes him jump suddenly appearing in front of him. He reaches out his hands and at first, the human doesn’t get it but then remembers he still has a book in his hands. He hands it to the elf and then takes a seat. Yet again there are many things before him that he doesn’t recognize apart from the bread and the foods he saw in the morning, but it couldn't be anything bad. The second Kihyun returns they begin probably one of the calmest dinners in ChangKyun’s life.

He dares to ask questions about the foods and ingredients, to which Kihyun is very eager to reply to. Meanwhile, Minhyuk is more interested in ChangKyun and asks about him and his journey here. It’s a very free and friendly environment and though being a bit tense throughout the day he finally relaxes. However, oddly enough, Wonho doesn’t join in the conversation a lot but just observes ChangKyun and even though the later feels those eyes on him it does not feel odd or offsetting. There is something very right about being next to Wonho and he can’t explain it.

“How about I show you where you will be staying?” Wonho suggests as the conversations calm down and the food is gone. He stands up from the table and the others jump up as if on a signal and not to be the odd one out ChangKyun stands up too.

“Sure. That would be great,” he nods. “Thank you for the meal,” he turns to Kihyun with a small bow and when he looks at the elf the latter looks absolutely shocked. “I’m sorry! Is bowing only a greeting here? Was that offensive?” he panics for a second and if not the other three elves giggling in the background this could have been very uncomfortable.

“He’s just shocked you pinpointed it’s him,” Wonho breaks the awkward silence and takes ChangKyun’s hand in his as he did at every given chance it seemed. “Let’s go.” The other three bow slightly as they leave, Kihyun’s face no longer shocked but rather curious as he follows them with his eyes.

“This human is something else,” he murmurs as the two shadows disappear in the corridors. “Something completely else.”

 

Wonho leads ChangKyun through the hallways - crystal lighting up as they approach - and the large house or castle even is filled only with their footsteps. They move through hallways until they reach a familiar one to ChangKyun - the one where they walked in the morning. Instead of going to the massive wooden door that leads to Wonho’s room they stop few doors from them. “This will be yours for as long as you want,” Wonho says as he opens the smaller door.

The room is half the size Wonho’s is, as is the bed at the wall on the right, but it has a warm, cozy vibe about it. The earthy and green tones in the curtains and bed covers make it feel welcoming and suited for ChangKyun in a very odd way. The book he had picked is set on the bed and by the first look, this could be the scene he would like to return for as long as possible. It almost looks like an illustration from a fantasy book, but so did everything else around him.

“Do you like it?” Wonho speaks next to ChangKyun and the latter jumps a little. “In theory, you should still be close to someone who could retract the excess magic from you, but it might make you uncomfortable when conscious,” he says almost sadly while ChangKyun feels the heat rising in his cheeks. He had spent so many nights in Wonho’s arms while unconscious. He wouldn’t have minded being fully aware of it. Wonho is the most gorgeous man he has ever laid his eyes on so he wouldn’t mind being aware of what is going on. Not that he would admit it out loud now.

“In case something feels off or odd, do come to me,” Wonho leans a bit closer to ChangKyun, his hands on human’s waist, pushing him deeper in the room. “Especially if you feel nauseous or anything hurts, okay?” he instructs and ChangKyun can just nod, hat in his cheeks rising for who knows which time this day. “Or just because. Goodnight,” Wonho ads before his touch is gone and when ChangKyun turns around he is no longer there either. 

“Remain calm,” the human whispers to himself and closes the door of the room. He calmly explores each corner of the room, turning on the crystal lamps which are a technology he doesn’t understand but is determined to explore along with so many other things. ChangKyun opens and checks the doors to a simple bathroom and to a closet with few items in a size that could fit him. The human closes the curtains on the high window with the view of the stream and night-filled forest behind it and slowly prepares to sleep - washes up, changes and turns all lamps back off except one next to the bed.

He settles under the covers - all soft and fresh almost immediately making him sleepy - and opens the book he has borrowed from the library but the words refuse to make sense to him. Something, someone distracts his mind. He has so many questions to ask and so many things from the book he wants to confirm he can’t stay still. On a whim he gets out of the bed and exits the room, taking the book with him. He turns to the left, marching quite determined to the larger door, but he freezes right in front of it.

“As if I will have another chance,” he whispers to himself and knocks on the massive door. It is impossible to hear movement behind it but after a moment it opens and Wonho in the same half-naked glory ChangKyun saw him in in the morning. “Umm, I had a few questions I thought you maybe could answer,” he can’t really look at the elf, his eyes everywhere but on him, but he can still feel how amused the man is.

“Sure,” he smiles and steps away from the door letting ChangKyun in. The room is dimly lit by a crystal light next to the bed an one on a desk near the window, the rest of falling into shadows. It felt more intimate, more secure than in the morning when it was full of light. He closes the door and walks around the slightly confused man before sitting down on the bed and tapping the spot before him. The human quite obediently sits where asked and places the book between them as a barrier. ChangKyun just couldn’t disobey Wonho, something inside him told not to.

“What do you want asks?” the elf rests his back against the headboard and looks just as the regal yet somewhat naughty fantasy as he did in the morning and for ChangKyun it is almost a bit too much. He had no idea how they went about such feelings and perhaps needs here so he just kept it all back. What even is he feeling exactly? A physical need? Just curiosity? It was possible he is just used to being close to the elf during the 2 weeks, right?

“There are a few things,” he shakes himself out of it and opens a page in the book. He asks very small, very meticulous questions as well as grander ones and Wonho responds to all of them with no stops. About how some myths came to be, how come elves appear to humans quite often, where they have come from and they have settled here. He does pause when ChangKyun asks about his age.

“How old do you think I am?” he asks almost teasingly. He leans forward and much closer to ChangKyun who hid in the book up till this moment.

“Elves are immortal, so it’s hard to tell,” ChangKyun admits, swallowing quite loudly at the closeness of the other man. His mind is already half sleeping, tired from the long day and the amount of information he has taken but Changkyun stubbornly refuses to admit it or how his mind now reacts to Wonho being so close.

“5 millenniums,” Wonho says rather casually and leans back against the headboard. “I’ve been here for 5 millenniums,” he repeats and looks at the confused man before him. “I’ve seen a lot, let’s just say that,” he adds with a smile and ChangKyun, though completely taken aback, tries to scramble for more questions.

“So… wait…” he murmurs as he lists through the pages of the book, but a hand stops him - Wonho moving closer to him again, perhaps even closer than before.

“I think it’s enough for you today,” Wonho’s voice is soft and gentle and even though ChangKyun tries to protest the book is taken from him and placed on a small table next to the bed. “You need to rest as you have been doing too much today as it is. I shouldn’t have let you after just waking up,” the elf speaks and his long fingers thread through ChangKyun’s hair. “But you seemed so eager to see, to learn,” he continues and a shiver runs through ChangKyun’s body and his eyes fall shut.

Wonho’s hand settles on his cheek, his thumb caressing the skin, and it is a reaction the human can’t control - to lean into the touch. He slowly opens his eyes - Wonho’s face just centimeters away from his and it is almost like can’t breathe for a second. Just slightly he moves forward, their lips almost touching but the elf stops the possible kiss by resting his forehead against ChangKyun’s.

“Oh I wish we could,” he whispers, his breathing heavy and it makes ChangKyun’s body to shiver. “But there are still many things you need to know,” he says with a smile on his lips, his mesmerizing forest grey eyes locking with his. “However, will you stay the night here?” the elf asks and all ChangKyun can do is a nod.

His body feels heavy and feather-light at the same time as he is pulled into an embrace he knows, he remembers, he wants to feel more of. The crystals in the room go dim and for one ChangKyun doesn’t want to think. He lets his tired body and overworked mind to sink into the warmth and calmness that radiates from the elf holding him. Even though the rational side of his mind tells him this might not be entirely right, he doesn’t fight back. ChangKyun is admittedly happy he is conscious before sleep wins over him as there is something extremely home-like in Wonho’s touch and despite sounding crazy, he knew he will not be able to get enough of it.


	4. Being

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS! 
> 
>  
> 
> *A hint to the ancient Mesopotamia.

Days pass and turn into weeks and ChangKyun falls into a wonderful routine. He ends and starts his days in Wonho’s embrace despite having room to call his own but nothing feels as right. ChangKyun does try to fight back the persistent need, but he manages only for two nights. There isn’t anything wrong with it, right? He feels wonderful tingling in his chest each time and his mind is so clear during the day and filled with beautiful dreams at night it just can’t be wrong.

He spends his days in the library, each bit of knowledge he gathers bringing more questions to answer and more things to research, making it a wonderful endless circle. The evenings are spent at the dining table with the elves he sees the most, apart from the librarian elf, the tall medic, who stops by in the library once in a while, and the broad-shouldered guard. It is very little he could ask for and almost nothing bothers him, apart from one question.

The very first night after his awakening Wonho had denied his kiss. He had most definitely provoked it himself and it was clear back then he wanted it but he had stopped himself. Even now ChangKyun didn’t fully grasp what Wonho meant with ‘there are still many things you need to know’, but he was more than determined to find out. Each evening he returned to the grand house with a new book and hundreds of questions. He had started a new notebook, illustrating each question to his best ability (which fascinated Woozi to no end) and tried to find the answer to the unclear riddle presented to him. The answer he finds, however, is not what he expects

A rather large in its size but comparingly thin in its volume book in soft, blue covers are placed on his desk near the end of the day. It has a shining blue, yet unrefined topaz in the middle of the cover, silver embroidering snaking all over the soft cover creating patterns of vines and leaves. Oddly the cover of the book reminded him of a place he had been to, but he couldn’t remember the place exactly or when it had happened.

With great care, ChangKyun opens the first page of the book and his eyes grow big, mouth slowly gaping open. Right from the very first page an image of someone he now knew so well looked right at him. He is drawn in a long, silver coat with patterns similar to the ones on the cover of the book. Seams of the coat line over his chest and waist, almost looking like he’s corseted but it is at the same time obvious he is not. The long silver hair drape over his shoulders, the blue tips reaching his waist. Rings cover the long fingers of his left hand, while the right one rests on a heft of a sword belted to his side. A crown is settled on his head - silver branches weaving from the central piece - a blue gem - around his forehead and stopping behind his ears. Even though forest grey, his eyes have a blue gleam to them.

“Wonho…” ChangKyun breathes out as he looks at the elf he would recognize anywhere at any time. The words below the intricate drawing take a moment to form anything logical in ChangKyun’s eyes but a long minute of staring he can finally read it. “The Elvenking,” he reads out loud and tries to turn the page but the shaking of his own hand stops him. “Of course. I’m such an idiot,” he whispers and rests his elbows on the table, hiding his face in his hands.

The reason everyone bowed to him and acted odd near him, the reason he lived in the biggest house, the reason so many people called him ‘sir’, Woozi included. The very obvious hint of him being the only one with blue hair, which ChangKyun hadn’t found an explanation to in any other of the books. When putting together it all made so much sense, but ChangKyun was so enthralled with the world around him and Wonho he didn’t even think of putting it all together - it simply didn’t matter to him.

With a shaky hand, he turns the page, the 9 rules of the Elvenking before him. They talk about wars, about treating his people, about treating all living beings, but number 6 stands out and adds another layer of explanation. “The king shall not reveal he is a king to those who cannot see it,” ChangKyun murmurs and Wonho’s words of him needing to learn more make perfect sense. He couldn’t tell him. He simply couldn’t. So for all these weeks, Wonho waited for ChangKyun to finally get it.

The human continues listing through the pages that tell of “the faraway land between two rivers*” where he came from, about the uniting and ruling over the elven nation. It touches upon devastating wars, encounters with humans and things so heartbreakingly horrid ChangKyun feels sick. The elven kind turned into circus attractions by humans while the king was trapped by goblins by for decades and lost to his people. Horrible things are done to him and to his people, what has driven them to live away from the world. And throughout all this time he was always alone, rule after rule indirectly denying him a partner. As if guarding him and restraining him at the same time, making his partner be someone very special.

Various books had already told ChangKyun elves were monogamous from the moment they met their spouses and they did not procreate, so the gender of the spouse did not matter, however, it seemed that it was even more complicated for the king. “Not one from his land, not one from his kind, not one from his time, not one from a kind knowing,” Changkyun reads quietly, the words sounding more like a curse than a law. For all these millenniums he was alone. The history of the king mentions the appearance of his ‘loyal subjects’ and from their descriptions, ChangKyun recognizes the people in the house, no, the castle - it was definitely a castle. Yet they had been with him for no longer than two and a half millenniums. 

“All this time,” he whispers before getting up from the desk. He closes the book and picks it up, thinking for a second to take it with him or not, but he knew he had to. He quickly wishes a good night to Woozi and rushes out in the twilight streets. He can still see the way well enough and needs no guidance. As it is early for him to return no one waits at the front door and he freely walks in. He maneuvers through the halls he already knows well until he reaches the large wooden door. ChangKyun knocks a few times but as no response comes he opens them himself and walks in.

The room is dark - no crystal lights lit - and Wonho is obviously not there but instead of searching for him ChangKyun decides to wait. He sits down on the bed facing the door, the book in his lap, and waits. He does not know what he will say or how he will act but he knew he had to say or do something. He felt sorry for being such a fool and not putting the clues together, he felt sorry for all things someone as wonderful as Wonho had to live through and he had no clue how to fix it all. What could he - a human whose life was a mere fraction of an elf’s - do?

The doors open after a while and ChangKyun looks up. Even in the dark of the room, his eyes meet Wonho’s and the latter as if instantly knows what ChangKyun has finally discovered. The elf closes the doors behind him, turns on a crystal lamp next to the bed and sits down next to ChangKyun. There is a moment of silence between them before Wonho speaks.

“That’s a very heavy reading material you got there,” he says after a long exhale, his eyes sad and fixated on the book and ChangKyun loses it. He can’t stand the sadness in those beautiful eyes, he can’t stand seeing the burden that suddenly weighs down those broad shoulders and above all he can’t stand his own helplessness. He places the book behind him and without a single word wraps his hands around Wonho’s shoulders. With no hesitation the elf returns the hug, pulling ChangKyun closer by his middle.

“I am a very bad researcher. I couldn’t put the clues together,” ChangKyun murmurs and pulls away from the hug to look at Wonho’s face. “I am kind of ashamed,” he smiles and doesn’t manage to say a single word more as Wonho’s lips press against his. His hands cup ChangKyun’s cheeks and the human grabs onto his shoulders. ChangKyun as if melts in his arms and doesn’t resist being pulled in the elf’s lap. He feels how the elf falls back landing on the mattress and pulling ChangKyun along. It’s one movement later when ChangKyun is under Wonho.

“Finally,” Wonho breathes against ChangKyun’s lips. “Finally,” he repeats as he kisses the human again and again. There is oddly perfect sync between their lips and they both get lost in it. The twilight turns to pitch black night behind the window and the castle falls quiet, but both of them are still in each other’s arms. This is exactly what ChangKyun was missing and it is very evident Wonho had needed this too.

ChangKyun pulls away from the kiss and looks up at the gorgeous man above him. “I can’t offer much, as I am human and I have very limited time here, but if possible and if you want, then all this time could be yours,” he says, his own words seeming odd to him but very true at the same time. He has nothing waiting for him in the human world, his whole life his researches so nothing is being lost - rather everything and more is gained by such an offer.

“It should have been my duty to propose to you, but you beat me to it,” the elf smiles as proceeds to rephrases the curse-like words from the book and now they don’t sound like a curse but rather a prophecy of a sort. “The one from a land beyond, the one of a different kind, the one from a time, not mine, the one who didn’t know,” his eyes sparkle in the crystal light and ChangKyun is absolutely mesmerized. “I take on your offer and do believe me when I say it will be much longer than you can imagine,” he says with such conviction ChangKyun doesn’t even question it.

Just like all the nights before they let the sleep swallow them whilst in each other’s arms. But now they feel, they are closer as they share endless kisses and though there are still questions lingering in the air it was not the time to bother with them. Now they had plenty of time ahead of them to answer those together.

 

When the first snow begins to cover the tall trees and the green moss the wedding takes place. The earth is as if powdered white, each flower, each bush, each stem glistening in small ice crystals. The cold bites the usually pale noses and tips of their pointy ears elves rosy, their breathe turning into air spirits rather than just disappearing in the air. Their everyday clothes are now covered with thicker coats and gowns with patterns sparkling like fresh snow making it hard to focus. Winter in this world is as magical as any other season if not more

The whole community is buzzing as it has been a while since such a large celebration and above it all - the Elvenking himself is getting married. The main hall, which ChangKyun finally saw the day after his realization upon who Wonho is, is decorated to the highest marks. The tall stone columns holding up the carved ceiling are wrapped in silver vines, small bright sprites and fairies dancing along the leaves. The vines sneak around the ceiling and hang down in places, creating swings for the little spirits and winged fairies, the whole room shining and sparkling. 

The throne that has stood alone in the middle of the room - large branches weaving behind a sturdy chair with a large topaz shining in the middle of them high above the seat - is now accompanied with a smaller one to it’s right, both covered in iridescent dust reminiscent of the falling snowflakes behind the large windows. Rows and rows of chairs fill the room from near the very throne to the far back and the very look at the hall makes ChangKyun’s knees weak.

“You have no chance of bailing, you do know that,” Minhyuk grabs the human by his shoulders, scaring him in the process. “Come one, let’s get you ready,” he still keeps his hands on ChangKyun’s shoulders and steers him to a door opposite to the hall. Kihyun is already waiting there, laying a white outfit on a set of chairs. 

Both of the elves are already in their own festive gowns - long coats nearly reaching the floor, hiding well fitted grey pants and knee-high deep grey boots. The coats are white with plant patterns in the color of their hair, which was such a curious detail, but it made them look even more magical. Their parted hair falling over their shoulders and melting into the embroidery of the coats, small silver tiaras reminding of weaved branches with small gems in the center. Colored powders were lightly dusted around their eyes and if they had been beautiful before then now they were completely stunning.

“It’s time,” Kihyun smiles and all ChangKyun can do is a nod. With the help of the two, he puts on the clothes picked for him. The pants and the boots are essentially the same as for the elves, however, the silver embroidery on the very top differs them. A white, soft cotton shirt with a deeper v-cut comes first, followed by a long coat. The coat is pure white with silver detailing. The shoulders of the coat turn into two separate capes mixed from a non-shiny silver fabric and white fabric of the same kind. The coat hits the floor while the capes drag along for good half a meter. At the very top, right below ChangKyun’s neck, the coat is closed with a silver brooch, a white crystal in the middle of it.

He sits perfectly still as Minhyuk pats pale peach colored powder on his lids followed by something that oddly reminds of pixie dust, which he scatters in ChangKyun’s hair as well. “The final touch,” the elf says and runs his fingers through ChangKyun’s hair before placing a tiara similar to his own on ChangKyun’s head. There’s a white crystal matching the one on the broch in the middle and for a second the cold of the metal sends a shiver through ChangKyun.

“Do you remember the vow? Usually, Wonho leads a wedding and the couple repeats but now you both need to know it,” Kihyun gestures ChangKyun to stand up, fixing the final details in his outfit.

“I do. You know I do,” the human smile and the pink-haired elf can’t help but smile in return.

“A wonderful millennium is in front of you, and if the heavens are willing perhaps even more than that,” the elf straightens the shoulders of ChangKyun’s coat and the latter tries not to focus on Kikyun’s words. A millennium. That is the line set for him and Wonho. It is far more than a humans life span - the very place they are at would expand his life for centuries - but it seemed unfair not enough knowing the outcome.

“Let’s not mention that,” he murmurs and lets out a sigh. The outcomes is a patch of land further up in the mountains where he would be laid to rest and Wonho would be next to him, which broke his heart. Only two things could kill an elf - the monstrous goblin dogs and grief. It is the hardest thing for ChangKyun to bear - the very thought that when his life would end Wonho would follow days, if not hours later. But the happy years still waiting ahead makes it worth it, that Wonho has assured him of.

Music begins to play behind the door. Flutes and harps ringing in the air along with faint singing of a simple melody with no words. “I have to go now,” Kihyun takes ChangKyun’s hands in his. “It’s a beautiful day for you, for him and for us. So only happy thoughts,” he says and the human nods with a smile, chasing his own thoughts away. “Good. 5 minutes,” Kihyun smiles and then turns to Minhyuk, before rushing to the main hall. The singing grows stronger, his voice standing out between the others.

“Are you nervous?” Minhyuk asks as they both get closer to the door. ChangKyun’s heart is beating rapidly all emotions swarming in his head in a mad dance.

“Yeah. A bit,” he admits and the elf moves from his side to his front. His eyes might be the calmest he has ever seen, sowing peace into ChangKyun’s mind.

“Don’t be. This is where you have to be,” he smiles and the human can’t deny the words said to him - this felt like his place. This felt like his home for so many reasons he can’t pick just one.

By the sound of it, small bells ring through the air of the main hall and both of them look at the door. “It’s time,” Minhyuk says with a deep exhale and opens the door, letting both of them into the hallway. Jooheon is standing next to one of the side of the main hall doors and Minhyuk rushes to the other. On Jooheon’s side a figure straight out from a fairytale book stands and just for a second ChangKyun is too in awe to move.

Just like in the book, Wonho is wearing his royal coat accompanied with the crown and sword by his side. His eyes are framed by pale rust color, the green in his eyes more evident than before. What has changed from the book is the large cape draping from the back of the coat. It’s wrapped around his right arm for now and when untangle was probably good 2 meters long. The lining is deep blue, matching the silver detailing and the gems in the jewelry as well as the elf’s hair. Regal. That was the word to describe him.

“You look beautiful,” Wonho says softly as ChangKyun stands next to him. He reaches out his left hand and ChangKyun takes it, perhaps squeezing it a bit too tightly as the elf laughs. “Don’t worry,” he whispers before letting his cape hit the floor. His face changes from the soft gaze ChangKyun knew so well to an almost ice cold, but beautiful expression. The elf’s eyes are fixed in front of him and ChangKyun does the same - trying to focus on where he will have to go.

The door opens and the room, that is now filled with all inhabitants of the city and guests ChangKyun had never seen before, stands up. The melody changes and the fairies in the wines begin to dance in the air, faint sparkle falling over the hall making the air itself to shine. Wonho lightly squeezes ChangKyun’s hand before he is about to make the first step and they both walk into the hall. They walk between the two filled aisles of creatures from near and far, all eyes on them and ChangKyun feels his heart going crazy in his chest his breath getting caught in his lungs. If not Wonho gently but firmly squeezing his hand he might lose it. He is a simple researcher, he had never even imagined he could be at such a place.

The walk that seems endless ends in front of the thrones. A small column with two rings on top of it marks the place where they should stand. They each stand on either side of the column and the closer they get to the culmination of this moment the faster ChangKyun’s heart is beating, but he just has to pull through. It is all worth it. The journey here, the inevitable outcome - all worth it.

Wonho reaches out his till now free hand and ChangKyun places his in it, both of their hands now linked. The music stops and everyone remains standing in complete silence. The human feels the reassuring touch that calms him down but a tint of nervousness still remains. The words of the wows in old elven he learned just for this day quickly being repeated in his head until he feels Wonho squeezing his hands, signaling the start of the main ceremony. Their eyes meet and there is just barely there smile playing on Wonho’s lips, while his eyes speak thousands and thousands of emotions. They both inhale deeply before they let the vows flow from their lips in unison.

_ As long as the sun rises, _

_ As long as the mountains stand - _

_ I am yours. _

_ As long as rivers run, _

_ As long as stars dance - _

_ I am yours. _

_ As long as a new day comes, _

_ As long as the winds blow - _

_ I am yours. _

They speak in one voice, the words echoing around the completely silent hall and each word resonates deep in ChangKyun’s chest. He feels joy and pride saying these words as well as a tint of fear, but the last disappears in the depth of Wonho’s eyes and all he feels is confidence.

_ Until my last breath _

_ And even beyond that - _

_ I am yours as you are mine. _

_ Beyond storms, beyond wars, _

_ Beyond fears, beyond plagues - _

_ You are mine as I am yours. _

They both let go of each other's hands and reach for the rings. Simple silver bands reminding of tangling tree branches just like the crowns and tiaras they are wearing, however, enchanted with strongest of elf magic. No human, wizard, elf or magical being would be able to remove these from their fingers till the end of time. Unique as their bearers the rings would always tell how far or near the other is, how well or ill he is.

Wonho is the first to take ChangKyun’s left hand in his, putting the ring on and ChangKyun follows the same pattern of movements. Their hands link seconds after and as the words continue to spill over their lips the storm of emotions in ChangKyun reach new heights.

_ Even when there will be no light, _

_ Even when the night will be eternal - _

_ I will be yours, as you will be mine. _

_ Obstacles great or obstacles small, _

_ An eternity new is before us - _

_ Me as yours and you as mine. _

As the last words fall from his lips ChangKyun feels how his eyes begin to water, immense joy courses through his entire being. What makes him feel, even more, rendering him unable to fight back when a tear of pure joy rolls over his cheek, is the reflection of the same emotions in Wonho’s eyes. The elf takes that one step closer, letting go of ChangKyun’s hands just to place his on the human’s cheeks as human places his on the elf’s sides. He swipes away the disobedient droplet of water, smiling the warmest smile, and leans forward pressing his lips against ChangKyun’s.

The room finally breaks the silence and cheers loudly echo around the high ceilings. The pixies and fairies begin to dance again, the music plays and the contrast between the silence before and the loud cheers now is almost shocking. Unwillingly the newlyweds break the kiss and lock their eyes again, faces reading nothing but joy, before turning to the cheering crowd. Hand in hand they walk down the aisle again, this time not hiding the joy they feel. Some of the visitors are shedding tears of joy, some jumping and clapping and it’s the most oddly beautiful mix of emotions.

The doors of the hall close behind them and they both exhale at the same time. “That was something,” Wonho laughs and looks at ChangKyun by his side who looks back at him. There is a strange gleam in his eyes before he quickly gathers his too-long of a cape on his arm, holds on tighter to ChangKyun’s hand and sets of running. The human doesn’t even fully understand what is going on as they dash through the hallways straight to Wonho’s room, or their room to be more precise. 

As soon as they enter it, Wonho closes the door and says a few words in old elven, which ChangKyun recognizes from his studies by now but doesn’t understand fully, and the doors gleams green for a second. Not explaining a thing Wonho turns back to ChangKyun, lets go of his cape, and in two big strides walks to his new spouse. His hands are on the man’s cheeks again, cupping his face gently, as their lips meet and ChangKyun though surprised rests his hands on Wonho’s middle, feeling the embroidered fabric under his fingers.

“What are you doing?” ChangKyun finally manages to ask between kisses.

“Does it matter?” Wonho asks in return as his fingers undo the hidden buttons on ChangKyun’s coat. His hands curious and restless, the warmth radiating from him more intense than ever before.

“There is a room full of guests waiting for the banquet to start, so, yes,” the human replies but doesn’t try to stop the eager elf. Perhaps he himself wanted this privacy more than he is ready to admit.

“They can wait,” he retorts and his hands move up, taking the tiara of ChangKyun’s head and placing it on the desk. “Just for a little bit,” he ads and his lips press against ChangKyun’s forehead and then the tip of his nose before returning to his lips. His sword belt falls on the floor with noise, but neither of them is truly bothered. They both move closer to the bed, the capes slightly in the way and Wonho is the first one to unbutton his coat completely and toss it off his shoulders, taking the liberty to push ChangKyun’s off as well. 

“Can you take this off for me?” he murmurs, his lips still near ChangKyun’s, before looking up at the intricate crown on his head. “Kind of not the most comfortable headwear for what I want to do,” he smiles and ChangKyun can just stare at him for a second. Hesitantly he reaches up and lifts the headpiece up. It is much heavier than he first thought and looking closer, what shocks and doesn’t shock him at the same time, the crown seems alive - as if it is still growing and changing. Carefully he places it on the table next to the bed. He is so swept up in the admiration for magnificent work of craftsmanship and magic he does not notice Wonho right behind him until the man wraps his arms around ChangKyun’s waist. With no warning he lifts the human up, making the human to squeal a bit, before placing him down and spinning him around.

“What are you actually doing?” ChangKyun is a bit taken aback, but the almost childish joy on Wonho’s face is so magical he can’t resist it and laughs out loud.

“I am just happy,” the elf replies simply but the words explain it all. “And I just can’t wait to have a whole eternity with you,” he ads and ChangKyun has the urge to correct him, but he keeps it to himself. They just promised an eternity for each other and only that truly mattered. 

“I’m happy as well,” ChangKyun smiles and runs his fingers through Wonho’s hair - a pass time he loved more than he could have ever imagined the feeling of the soft strands falling between his fingers absolutely sensational.

Pulling ChangKyun close the elf takes a step back and sits on the edge of the bed and proceeds to pull the human in his lap. “I have so many thoughts, so many ideas, so many things I want to experience with you running through my head I can’t even focus on just one,” he smiles brightly, his hands firmly holding onto ChangKyun’s sides. “Where do we even start?”

“Then can I start?” ChangKyun suggests and the elf rises an eyebrow. “I read it in a book and I would like to try it out,” he explains and the thought kind of makes heat rush to his cheeks. It isn’t anything outrageous, however, his human standards were very different from the elven ones.

“Sure, I am all yours,” Wonho smiles and his mesmerizing eyes follow each movement ChangKyun makes. The human licks his lips slowly, before leaning closer to the elf. Instead of going for his lips or cheeks, he moves next to his head. He gently moves the silver hair out of the way, which already is intriguing for Wonho, but it reaches a new level when his lips press against the side of the elf’s ear.

A jolt of energy runs through Wonho’s body, but he remains as still as possible. Another kiss is laid on the outer edge of his ear, small kisses making their way up and shivers run up and down the elf’s spine. He feels a tongue carefully touching the sensitive and he can’t control another wave of shivers. It’s the oddest but must pleasant feeling he has ever felt and he can’t deny he is enjoying it. A small, barely their nibble follows and that is the final straw for his mind.

“Stop,” he breathes out and ChangKyun stops immediately, looking at the elf with slight confusion. “Where did you read this?” he tries to remain calm even though nothing about him is calm now. “How do you know…”

“An anatomy book said the ears for elves is a very sensitive area, which if treated accordingly, can be erogenous…” ChangKyun begins to explain and Wonho’s eyes grow big. Not that he doesn’t know of this but ChangKyun to know.

“And the first thing you have decided to try on your new husband is this?” he asks and instead of replying right away ChangKyun smiles and leans back to his ear.

“What I am doing here can be done on other body parts too, with an even better effect,” he whispers, his voice deep, and runs his tongue over the outer edge of the elf’s ear to the very tip, locking his lips around the very very top of it for a second.

Wonho’s body goes mad for a second and so does his mind with all the admittedly naughty things he wants. It is as if a switch is turned in him. Just one move and ChangKyun’s back is pressed against the mattress, Wonho hovering above him. Both of their eyes sparkle with a mischievous gleam.

“What are you trying to awaken?” Wonho asks, his breathing heavy, excitement still coursing through his veins with full force.

“Something that has been asleep for few millenniums,” ChangKyun responds calmly, however his chest is rising and falling in deep breathes as well.

“Are you ready for that?” the elf leans closer, their noses touching and ChangKyun is the one to slightly move his head to rub them against one another.

“We will see if I am ready,” he retorts and the moment the last sound leaves his lips they are captured by the elf’s. The snow slowly dances to the ground behind the window, there’s rustling and talking in the hallways, but they don’t seem to be bothered. That is until a knock on the door almost shakes the whole room.

“I deeply apologize, but if you won’t be in the throne hall in 10 minutes to receive the gift from the King of Dwarves he will either clean out all our wine supplies or start a war,” Kihyun’s voice sounds rather strict and it can be heard as he stomps away, his usually light step not there.

“We must go,” ChangKyun says as Wonho rests their foreheads together, cupping the handsome face in his hands. “We have an eternity before us, remember?” he ads and this time he is the one who can read sadness of reality in Wonho’s eyes before the man smiles.

“We do,” he takes ChangKyun’s hands in his and stands up, pulling the human along. “Let’s go and prevent a war,” he jokes and brings ChangKyun’s hands closer, laying a kiss on the ring he is now wearing. “We can start our eternity later.”

The gowns are put back on, only the capes left in the room; the crowns are back on their heads as they head back to the main hall. It is the beginning of their shared times - both happy and sad, both beautiful and terrifying, with unknown dangers sneaking through the woods and swarming in the air. Yet no matter what comes upon them, no matter what hides in the shadows - they have each other as promised in the vows more powerful than any spell of ancient times as two hearts now beating as one could not be stopped form a new eternity before them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The journey is over!  
> Do let me know how you liked it! I, personally, really enjoyed writing it and perhaps one day I might continue it. I have some ideas with more action in them. Would you be interested in continuing the exploration of this magical world?  
> However, for now, I have two other wonkyun ideas that you will see very soon! So stick around!
> 
>  
> 
> P.S their wedding outfits were inspired by the gorgeous outfits the elves in LOTR and The Hobbit wore. ChangKyun's was based on [Galadriel's gown](https://www.wetanz.com/shop/figures/the-lady-galadriel-at-dol-guldur) while Wonho's on [Thranduil's golden outfit](http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/37900000/king-thranduil-thranduil-37975142-690-960.jpg).
> 
> P.P.S If anyone would like to illustrate this world, I would be down for either a contest with prises or commissions.


	5. Hidden Chapter: Aphrodisiac

During an anual challene Monsta Xxxmas a special chapter of this story came to life - the weddin night!

The challenge is officially over, so here is the special chapter:[ https://archiveofourown.org/collections/mxxxmas2018/works/17196434](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/mxxxmas2018/works/17196434)

Go and give it some love!

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this random idea of mine that came from Wonho wearing elf ears in a fan-sign.  
> Tell me what you thought, leave a comment, share with friends!  
> Find me on: [Twitter](https://twitter.com/BeanSensei) I am always down for new Monbebe/WonKyun friends!  
>   
>  **OTHER WONKYUN**  
>  **||** [WonKyun drabbles : The Last Of The Real Ones ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13358346) **||** [The Blue Flower ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8245657) **||** [Come Back Alive](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8411509) **||** [Addiction Series](https://archiveofourown.org/series/581722) **||** [Leashes and Kisses](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7740334) **||** [Ribbons and Rings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9198269) **||** [I'm Thankful for You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8347240) **||** [Silent Appreciation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7733332) **||** [Worth It](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9570284) **||** [Beneath The Surface](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9604883) **||** [A Little Less 16 Candles](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9810344) **||** [Mechanical Feelings series](https://archiveofourown.org/series/959832) **||** [Cat Person](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13935078) **||** [Growth](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14009844) **||** [Between Pages](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16602338) **||** [Take it Off](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16661525)


End file.
